Enough is enough - V/R minister slams ECG over persistent power outages

Audio By Carbonatix

Volta Regional Minister, James Gunu has voiced his frustration over the ongoing power outages and low voltage affecting communities and businesses across the region.

Describing ECG’s performance as a “complete disappointment,” he called for immediate and transparent communication, as well as greater accountability.

“Whatever the challenges are, let us know. There must be communication – regular communication – with the people,” he insisted.

He added, “Tell them if the power is going off today, so they can prepare. People’s fridges and other appliances have been damaged. They will begin to charge you for that. Why should it come to this?”

His remarks reflected growing public discontent, as residents and business owners continue to suffer losses due to unreliable and unannounced power cuts. Speaking passionately, the Minister challenged ECG to raise its standards and engage more effectively with the public.

“You are disappointing the people of this region. What crime have we committed?” he asked, stressing that ECG and other underperforming institutions must lead the way in restoring trust and performance.

In response, ECG’s Volta Regional Manager, Ms Christina Jatoe-Kaleo, acknowledged the challenges and assured the public that efforts were underway to resolve the crisis. She attributed much of the issue to limitations within the electricity transmission network managed by GRIDCo, ECG’s upstream supplier.

“If what they give us is already low, by the time it reaches you, it’s insufficient,” she explained. “ECG cannot do much in such cases. We’ve been in discussions with GRIDCo all week… when they are off, we are off.”

Ms Jatoe-Kaleo distinguished between planned outages—which ECG is legally required to announce—and unplanned interruptions caused by technical faults or system trips, particularly during the night. She reassured the Minister that ECG operates a 24-hour technical response team and is continuously working to detect and repair faults in the system.

“We always inform the media and local assemblies about planned outages,” she said. “But faults are unpredictable. Our engineers are constantly out in the field, tracing and resolving issues as they arise.”

She also pointed to internal initiatives to build technical capacity through training programmes and highlighted the importance of improved collaboration between ECG, GRIDCo, and government stakeholders.

“If there are matters beyond our control, we escalate them to our superiors in Accra. They are always willing to support. And if necessary, we are ready to convene as ‘Team Volta’ to address the issues collectively and find solutions.”

Despite these assurances, Minister Gunu expressed dissatisfaction with the current state of affairs, stressing that the region’s patience was wearing thin. He warned that downplaying the effects of the outages would only increase public suspicion and resentment.

“We’ve written to you, but I know the usual excuse — that the letter wasn’t received. That’s why I’ve come in person. Today, I am the letter,” he declared.

The ECG has recently been embroiled in controversies following revelations that over a thousand containers of imported equipment and supplies have gone missing at the Tema Port.